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                  Get to know your Business Agent today!  Find out how the union makes a difference on the job. |
 NEWS OF THE WEEK, April 13, 2007 '237' Head: Use Pension Money For Development; Cites Electchester As A Model for Union Housing Complex By RICHARD STEIER The new head of Teamsters Local 237 last week said he would use his position as a trustee of the city's largest retirement system to advocate the investment of pension funds to build an affordable housing complex for union members. Gregory Floyd, who March 30 was elected to fill the unexpired term of Carl Haynes following his retirement, said he envisioned something similar to Electchester, the 38-building, 2,500-housing unit cooperative in Flushing founded nearly 60 years ago by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Build From Ground Up In contrast to recent union bids to use pension fund money to buy existing developments like Stuyvesant Town and Starrett City, Mr. Floyd said during an interview April 4 that he envisioned a new building project somewhere in the five boroughs: "wherever we can build; wherever we can find space that's suitable for this project." He said he was not sure whether enough land was available for a development as large as Electchester, which at its inception in 1949 was home almost exclusively to electricians and their families but in recent years has diversified. Nor, he said, had he discussed the idea in detail with District Council 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts and Transport Workers' Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint, his fellow labor trustees at the New York City Employees' Retirement System, or the city officials who account for four of the seven votes on the pension system's board. 'Lillian Liked Idea' "I had unofficial conversations with Lillian; she thought it was a good idea," Mr. Floyd said. "I haven't had a conversation with Roger." Neither Ms. Roberts nor Mr. Toussaint returned calls about his plan. The proposal is an early indication that Mr. Floyd, who has more than 2-1/2 years remaining in Mr. Haynes's term before he faces an election battle, intends to cast a higher profile than his predecessor. He criticized the recent state budget agreement for not providing significant additional funding for the Housing Authority, but said he was hopeful that a Federal bill backed by U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez that would provide $600 million in extra aid for the nation's largest housing system could be enacted by next year. 'Be Voice for Voiceless' Mr. Floyd was speaking two days after the funeral of his father, Willie, a longtime Hospital Police Officer who died March 26 at age 71. Gregory followed him into the ranks of the Hospital Police in 1984, six years before Willie retired from his job at Kings County Hospital after 31 years of city service that began as a hospital messenger, and he said his union activism has been influenced heavily by his father's advice. "He would say," the younger Mr. Floyd recalled, "'You stand up and be a man. You have to be the voice for those who don't have voices.'" His father convinced him to give up a job in a delicatessen in favor of the security and benefits provided to hospital cops, but he also expressed regret at not having made more money to afford Gregory and his three siblings an affluent lifestyle as they grew up in Crown Heights and Queens Village. Shortly after Mr. Haynes became president of Local 237 in 1993, his attention was attracted by Mr. Floyd's advocacy on behalf of his fellow hospital cops as they sought legislation that would allow them to carry firearms. It was a fight that Willie Floyd previously played a leading role in. Gregory Floyd approached Mr. Haynes and convinced him to push for a pilot program under which designated Special Officers at Health and Hospitals Corporation facilities would carry guns. The pilot was implemented, but the union has been unable to get that right approved long-term for the entire hospital police force. 'Can Do More At Union' Mr. Haynes told Mr. Floyd, "I think you could do more work here [as a union representative] than you're doing at your job," and placed him on staff in 1994. At the beginning of 2003 he appointed him a Local 237 trustee, and 18 months ago Mr. Floyd was elected secretary-treasurer of the union. By that time, it was widely speculated that Mr. Floyd was being groomed to succeed Mr. Haynes, who had stated during his re-election campaign that it was possible that he would not serve his full five-year term. "This surprises me," Mr. Floyd said of how far he has come in Local 237, which represents 24,000 employees in city government, at the Housing Authority and on Long Island. "But I was told things happen for a reason. You have to have a vision; you have to know where you're going." Blocked Privatizing The frustration he felt at not being able to get hospital cops the right to carry guns on-duty, Mr. Floyd said, was tempered by the satisfaction he derived as a Local 237 staff member in helping to head off Mayor Giuliani's attempt to privatize hospital security. During 2001, Mr. Giuliani's last year in office, the union persuaded state legislators and Governor Pataki to approve legislation requiring that hospital security duties be performed by certified peace officers. That drive, Mr. Floyd said, convinced him of the importance of engaging the rank and file in union activities. He said he hopes to prod legislators to approve a separate bargaining unit for the law-enforcement personnel represented by Local 237, which also includes School Safety Agents. The primary goal in gaining such status, he said, would be to have those members of the local receive salary upgrades that would place them somewhere between civilian employees and uniformed workers such as cops, firefighters, and correction officers. 'Parity Unrealistic' "I'm not looking for parity, because that's unrealistic," Mr. Floyd said regarding the prospect of gaining equal treatment with those employee groups. His bid, he said, would include increased differentials for the supervisors he represents in those law-enforcement jobs. Currently they receive a $2,500 differential for each step beyond the entry-level job for their title; Mr. Floyd said he would like to double the differentials, making the pay upgrades closer to those given to uniformed workers as they move up the ranks. His activism has also extended to dealing with troubled youths in the schools that his members patrol. Along with United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Mr. Floyd is a member of the Council for Unity, which counsels students -- in some cases those who are gang members -- to work out their differences peaceably. 'No Place for Gangs' Mr. Floyd, who with his wife Wendy has a 9-year-old daughter, Jessica, and 4-year-old son, Jonathan, said, "I am committed to making sure that every kid in the world knows that there's no place for gangs and gang violence." The role of adult mentors, he said, could be seen vividly in his father's influence on the career choices of his children. All four went into public service: one of Mr. Floyd's brothers is a retired hospital cop, the other one is a Correction Officer, and his sister is a Court Stenographer. "My father always told me," Mr. Floyd said, '''You do the job even when you think people are not looking at you.''' Reprinted with permission from The Chief-Leader, Copyright ©2007. All Rights Reserved. |
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